A reporter for the Wall Street Journal writes candidly about the “bias” in favor of a college education in Korea. Could anything like that be written about the United States? Should it?
The bias for a college education has gone too far in South Korea, where more than 80% of high school graduates attend college. It is fueled by a perception — driven by educators, families, politicians and media — that success and stability can be achieved only by going to college and getting a job in a large conglomerate or the government. Lazy hiring practices at companies reinforce the perception, with some human resources departments refusing to consider candidates who don’t attend certain colleges.
(Currently, 68 percent of all high school graduates start college.)